Commodity Prices and world trade
The coarse grain prices in India are stable. As the arrivals for Bajra (Pearl Millet) started in the markets the prices have come down to $138 per MT at the end of the month from the high of $160 per MT from the third week. Prices of some varieties on the other hand rose. The arrivals are very slow in most of the markets for Pearl Millet.
Barley prices have been stable, but the arrivals have been slow. Average prices for the varieties that can be used for the brewery are ranging from a low of $109 per MT to a high of $131 per MT. Average prices is about $121 per MT at the market yard, which is somewhat higher than last year.
Grain Sorghum prices have risen in the last month and the arrivals have slowed. The prices range from a low of $112 per MT for a hybrid variety to a high of $213 per MT for a yellow variety. The prices for the same varieties were $97 per MT for hybrid while the yellow variety was sold at $186 per MT in the first week of April 2005.
Maize prices have also shown an upward trend and the arrivals are getting slow. The quality is also not satisfactory. The prices of hybrid variety which was $124 per MT at the start of the month rose to $134 per MT at the end of the month. The yellow variety which was being sold at $121 per MT during the same period has gone up to $138 per MT. Maize futures are $123 per MT for May, $126 per MT for June and $127 per MT for July delivery. The prices are ex warehouse. Spot prices at Nizamabad and Dawangere were $122 per MT and $123 per MT respectively.
The corn prices at CBOT were going up slowly. For May the CBOT closed at $2.046 per bushel ($80.53 per MT), while for July delivery the CBOT closed at $2.135 per bushel ($84.03 per MT). The current FOB prices (US Gulf) for US No. 2 yellow corn are $99 per MT, while sorghum is being traded at $102 per MT (FOB US Gulf).
The sowing for corn has started in US for 2005-06 crop and the coverage is currently below the USDA expectations. International Grains Council (IGC) estimates the world coarse grain production for 2005-06 at 954 MMT, about 4.6 percent lower than 2004-05 crop of 1.011 billion metric tons. The total requirement is expected to be 961 MMT for the year 2005-06.
Biotech Rice can cut use of pesticides and illness, suggests study (from National Geographic Channel)
Reports from the trial in China indicate that the use of GM rice can reduce the use of pesticides by over 80 percent and an increase in production by 6 to 9 percent. The tests are a final step before China decides on the commercial release of the GM rice.
Two strains of rice were altered to resist attack of two insects, rice stem borer and leaf rollers. They were tested during years of regulatory trials. The tests in China measured food safety, growth effectiveness, and environmental impact. But the recent trials were the first to document the impact of genetically modified rice at the individual farm level.
Farmers typically apply pesticides to combat rice stem borers and leaf rollers only if inspections show crops are infested. During the study farmers used smaller amounts pesticide because they saw less need. As a result, farmers' pesticide exposure dropped, and their health improved.
Pesticide exposure-related illness is a major problem in the agricultural communities of developing nations, including India. Awareness and safety procedures lag far behind those in more developed economies. Manual labour is also more widespread, and, as a result, human-crop interactions occur much more closely and often.
As per Dr.Huang, Director of the Centre of Chinese Agriculture Policy, "Annually more than 50,000 farmers are poisoned in farm fields, of which some 400 to 500 die,"
U S Grains Council completes its first training course on Poultry Meat InspectionDr.David Shapiro and Dr.P T Wang were the lead resources for the Poultry Meat Inspection Training Course, organized by the Council at Bombay Veterinary College from April 24 – 29, 2005. The group included officers of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India and the plant managers of the major poultry processors. The GOI officers are responsible for the inspection of value added products and administer Meat Food Products order of 1973 (MFPO of 1973). The current order or any other order does not cover raw, chilled, frozen chicken meat.
The topics covered included GMP & GHP requirements and HACCP for poultry meat. Also topics on inspection system, what to inspect, food safety, transport etc were covered in detail. The group also visited the traditional street markets in Bombay, where chicken was being slaughtered to see the condition of meat and also visited a HACCP certified slaughter facility of Godrej Agrovet Limited to compare the two. The group also visited the facility of Vesta Foods Limited, sole suppliers to McDonalds for their chicken and vegetable value added products.
The Indian poultry industry is currently growing at 12 – 13 percent per annum, and can grow much faster if the processing industry gets a boost from the government and the products get a seal of inspection so as the consumer is confident about the product that is available.
Major recommendations that emerged from the discussions included:
1. Government of India, Private Sector companies and NGO’s need to work together to create awareness about hygienic chicken slaughter practices.
2. MFPO to include raw, chilled and frozen chicken in its definition of products and register the poultry processing plants.
3. Municipal corporations of the four metropolitan cities and other major cities be encouraged to stop street slaughter in a phased manner and private sector be encouraged to invest in setting up slaughter facilities and cold chain infrastructure fir storage, supply and sale of chicken and chicken products to the consumers.
It is vital that some sort of inspection system, may be random check be initiated which will be better that the current ‘no inspection system’. It is also vital that the wet markets are regulated and follow a system. The long term goal should be to supply safest meat to the consumers.
The Council will plan a second training course for the remaining officers in July 2005 and by that time it is expected that the MFPO will be amended to include the chilled and frozen chicken in the list of products and the registration of the plants would start.
Amit Sachdev
Representative
U S Grains Council, India
bluecross303@gmail.com
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